Pathophysiology Of Dementia Essay

With the ageing population there will be more people affected with dementia. Dementia is the term used to group together several disorders that affect the brain. The effects of these disorders cause memory loss, the ability to perform everyday tasks and behaviour. The following essay will discuss topics such as pathophysiology of dementia, effects that dementia has on a persons lifestyle, strategies or non-pharmacological treatments that can be implemented to deal with dementia and community support. Dementia is five times higher in rural Aboriginal communities and the rate of dementia in Torres Strait Island is unknown. In the Kimberley region there was research conducted with 363 participants and found dementia in 12.4% of Aboriginal people which are over the age of 45 and 26.8% in Aboriginal people over the age of 65. (White, C. & Holdsworth. K., Alzheimer’s Australia, 2014) Alzheimer’s disease is the most common disorder and accounts for 50% to 70% of all dementias and Vascular Dementia coming in second. Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Fronto Temporal Lobor Degeneration, Alcohol related dementia and aids related dementia are other …show more content…
The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is when both amyloidplaque and tau build up, which contain neurofibrillary tangles and resulting in the death of brain cells and the connections between them. Around the nerve cell where there are dense deposits of protein build up, is known as plaque. Tangles are twisted fibres that build up in the cell. As the disease progresses the brain cells shrink and die. (Alzinfo, 2014) Vascular dementia is when there is damage to the blood vessels in the brain from a stroke and this impairs the cognitive function. Lewy body disease is caused by protein build up in the brain cells and is known as alpha-synuclein and they form as clumps which affect only certain parts of the brain. (Alzheimer’s Australia,